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High school basketball | Providence full of new faces, question marks

By Tom Whitus, Special to The Courier-Journal
12:22 a.m. EST November 25, 2013

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Providence's Ben Shahroudi (12) takes a turn at the net after a championship win. The Providence Pioneers win the title game against the Clarksville Generals 38-36 in the 52nd Annual Holiday Tournament at Silver Creek HS on Saturday night.
December 29, 2012(Photo: Michael Dossett/Special to The Courier-Journal)Buy Photo

A starting lineup of five seniors led the way as Providence got out to a fast start last season. But those five seniors are gone, and with them a huge portion of the Pioneers game experience and scoring.

“We lost five starters and 95 percent of our production in every category when the game was relevant,” said coach Lou Lefevre. “We’re starting over; (this team) is new to carrying the load for Providence.”

So, the question the 10th-year coach faces as his inexperienced team takes the court this season: What’s next?

Or more important, who’s next?

This season’s squad has six seniors and four sophomores to go with six freshmen. The absence of juniors explains the inclusion of freshmen to fill out the roster.

“We have some really good freshmen. Any other year they wouldn’t be on the varsity, but there are spots to be filled,” said Lefevre.

Of the seniors who will be new to “carrying the load,” 6-4 guard Grant Goad, 5-10 guard Ben Shahroudi and 6-2 center Nick Hayes bring some game experience from last season.

“They didn’t have significant stats to speak of,” Lefevre said, “but all have been on the varsity team.”

Among a talented freshman class is Juston Betz, a 5-10 guard.

“Betz is mentally tough and has good leadership skills,” said Lefevre.

A proven winner with the Pioneers (160-45 over nine seasons) Lefevre may be facing his biggest challenge: how to take a group of relative newcomers and actual newcomers and turn them into the cohesive unit that plays Pioneers-style basketball, the deliberate ball movement on offense that requires a steady hand at the guard position and defensive effort that takes other teams out of their offense and forces the deliberate type of game in which the Pioneers often excel. Rebounding, on both ends, is also a key to the Pioneer style of play.

“In most years we’ve had enough players who’ve developed and have the mental and physical skills to outplay the other teams. We’ve had players who were coachable,” said Lefevre.

But this isn’t most years, and Lefevre is going to learn on the fly who has the skills, who develops and who can be “coached up” to compete.

“This team has a different personality,” said Lefevre. “Ten of the 16 (on the roster) had never been to a varsity practice. This team is hugely inexperienced.”

And that first varsity practice just weeks ago is way too close to the first varsity game.

“At the start (of the season), some of the players won’t look varsity-ready,” said Lefevre. “Hopefully they’ll work through it.”

So, why didn’t Lefevre put some of his then-juniors on the floor last season, knowing he would have to rely on them now?

“I’m not a long-term coach,” he said. “I think it’s unfair not to focus on this season. Next year will come eventually; you’ll worry about that next year.”

So while a solid freshman class may shine in the future, Lefevre is looking to his seniors to lead the way this time around.

“Now they will have a chance to prove themselves,” he said.

And if his squad can play good defense and rebound, the Pioneers still have problems to solve.

“We have a lot of question marks about our ability to score and handle the ball,” said Lefevre. “We don’t have a lot of great shooters, and if you can’t play offense you’re not going to beat anybody good.”

So it might be a tough December for the Pioneers, but Lefevre is undaunted.

“It’s a challenging year; these years are always interesting,” he said. “Every win is going to be a struggle.”

But the struggle may pay off. Last year’s experienced, senior-laden lineup started 10-0, then went 7-4 after that and was eliminated in the first round of the sectional.

For this squad, early season struggles may lead to postseason success.

“Maybe we’ll make progress and be more competitive at sectional,” said Lefevre. “It all depends on who steps up, who rises to the challenge. Some teams are reborn in sectionals, it’s up to the players and the resolve they have.”